[davidbliss]

Andrew
Thanks for that, and you now say engine was probably made by Ransomes can see now looking at parts not quite finished as the old three speed jobs, I thought would have been like barrel sort of overhangs crankcase in parts, carb looks the part and very well machined but design is a bit more than just lacking especially they got things right over a century earlier with design especially where single cylinders are concerned taking large gasps of air so not a constant air flow. People took a pride in things, I have a 25hp Chinese 4 wheel drive mini tractor that was scrapped and left outside for years with failing parts after only 4 years with little use, design is really good but how its made and put together is atrocious, ideal for what I needed as it was heavy for its size and could pull my twice the sized IH 40hp 2 wheel drive backwards like a toy. I feel it takes no longer to make a good thing than a bad, after lots of work modifying its now worked for over 2,000 hrs and parts that I altered and made are still as new but you can’t correct all issues so a bit trying odd times.

• This reply was modified 1 day, 3 hours ago by davidbliss. Reason: Spelling mistake

[davidbliss]

Andrew,
Engine is the Sturmey-Archer and looks like a 150+-cc going by piston size I just forgot to measure it but needs a piston but doesn’t knock as bad now as found old and worn but better rings and is running weaker and no smoke, idles in low hundreds just like a sowing machine that was just a desperate try to weaken the mixture off and worked, all parts freed off and repaired so now easy to come apart if I find blades will replace just three, its really rough for its age and needs a bearing in chain case on clutch shaft dog clutch side, grass box and one RH cast roller half, small things can make and already have spent many hours at least its saved. Although idles very slow its still rather fast, did they pay gardeners by the hour I wonder.

• This reply was modified 3 days, 18 hours ago by davidbliss. Reason: Added bit,

[davidbliss]

Its sort of presentable it runs really well with little smoke as manage to find old rings that were a bit better, but it needs a piston and rebore. Quite a few nuts had to be replaced as rotted away that hold cutting cylinder bearing housings, the special seals were sort of useable but to hold them in place and to stop them turning on the shaft had to make spacers to make them captive. removed the rotten tinwork from the box and the grass deflector welded in some new, rollers and handles so it works. However there was one annoying problem the centrifugal clutch was a bit weak and to get it to drive to work its engine had to be run rather fast and to keep it from slipping it needed the revs up and I was nearly at a run, I just thought its had oil or grease get onto the linings or worn out. So today I thought it looked like a easy thing to slide engine across to gain access to the shoes. Yes it was easy apart from bolt heads had rotted away and to keep it still on old Whitworth fittings welded up the rotted heads and machined back, and the clutch was like new but there was a giveaway it had been off before as shoes had there trailing edges chamfered off, now you only do that to leading edges so the shoes had been fitted round the wrong way so shoes work leading to give a mechanical assist to grip. They now work so engine can be throttled right back and still drive at a walking pace. Going back together found the engine had been running out of line so the toe bearing was causing drag so the clutch drum was always revolving once the dog clutches were disengaged, it needed one shim and bit wiggling so now with the engine running its always stationary and the drive shaft can be spun by hand, So a worth-while easy fix. This isn’t first time I have come across this, so some of the early weird and wonderful clutches worked but not for long.

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[davidbliss]

Andy,
Many thanks, I had forgot oak eats metal as often seen bad stains where nails have been used, friend has off cuts from building thats why I used oak, he also has Accoya and Saple, I have lost all my ash trees one by one, I think there are seedlings still coming up that were a nuisance, There is still Ash round this way they had masse’s of seeds this last year, don’t think thats a good sign, one old Rover car I had used Ash felloe’s and Oak spokes rear wheels needed new Felloe’s as rims were shot, but rest was still original so all the drive and braking on 120 year old wood. on one of our runs a car sheared all of its new spooks because of kiln dried, the old Overland I had was the only original RHD to special order still surviving with the smaller engine 4 cylinder and 4 litre still on its original Hickory wood thats allot of torque driving, Wheel repairs when you turn wood on a milling machine. If really dry then allowed to get damp it will break the metal felloe band, it takes 6 months to dry then tighten and treat, if not looked after its going to cost.

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[davidbliss]

A update, So a just encase mice had carted nuts up the silencer and blocking that, I dropped it off and found it was quite clean inside, but end was rotted so fixed that, and ran it up for few minutes and what is failing got much worse and even turning it over by hand makes a good thot sound. so some part of cam lobe has gone or the follower, exhaust and injection timing is still normal. so needs a replacement cam and followers. Think its made of cast iron so not good to weld and steel would be easier but bit of trial and error get that exact and probably get distortion and even a small bit on the injection timing makes a lot.

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[davidbliss]

I have just found the paperwork from 53 through to 62 when it was stopped being used regally it says cast iron head without seat inserts, one fault with old oil was the oil restrictor supplying oil to the valve gear used to clog and nearly stop, now with high detergent oil it hasn’t slowed in years in-fact its quite wet up top and very clean.

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[davidbliss]

We had a large version that looked like a very large fire extinguisher 1930-40s, no idea of make but held getting on for three gallons brimmed, had a carrying strap but a bit on the heavy side. My grandfather and my father used it quite a bit and in the 1963 winter was used to thaw water pipes out to get water for the animals, I never used it for weeding but with fire bricks could heat up some serious big bits of metal given time.often had to replace the pump washer, and often a bit of leather used to get in the non return foot valve and pump handle would go up, and was another reason for not carrying it as often would dribble paraffin when that happened.

[davidbliss]

Grahame, I have had severals things to make conversions for and with parallel inner up to a shoulder and tapered outer and split to work, that could be to save a nasty accident. if working in opposite with tapered inner and keyed the outer but if you split the bush it works even better as long as the driven part has a good strong boss. On some early cars? well can think of one in the late 1960s used rear wheel hubs sitting on parallel shafts. It didn’t work in the early cars so never worked in the later ones ether and it stressed the threaded part of the stub by bending until it breaks and wheel takes a hike and if the brake drum was with it even more excitement as no braking. 1905 Rover all suffer, with slightly different as has to have part taper as outer part not strong enough to take the stress and if kept to a shallow taper would be very difficult to pull off in the future, so shaft needed to be held tight but not to stress other parts. So its a good safe repair if thought out.

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[davidbliss]

About what year, engine looks like a Rotor scythe. Looks less Heath Robinson than what my neighbour put together in late fifties always wondered where he got the idea from, using a plough disc powered by a very early Mk 12 Villiers, two pram wheels, can’t remember what he made the frame out of but was very impressed being open consumed little power, what ever you pushed it through it cooped. always looked bit dangerous but really no different to what I have today on the end of my strimmer head, ether a four bladed or six toothed disc. oddly large blades only good on light stuff whereas the toothed coops with nearly up to an inch when you don’t want it cut.

[davidbliss]

I tried leather as had it at hand but wrongly used the crocodile fasteners, soon found out they only like going round to bend in one direction over pulleys so the tensioner soon destroyed fastener and belt, I did get it right as have laminated and glued leather for large cone clutches and worked, one hadn’t needed attention in 60 years use so work without issues. Care is needed in fitting as leather cut short, laminated, glued and dampened as has to be shrunk on, plus it isn’t just a straight bit of leather ether as has to be cut crescent shaped.

[davidbliss]

My Grand father used one for years and then got a Ransoms that wasn’t ideal late 50’s got a David Brown 2D that ran rings around the crawler, I resurrected the plough Mate in the 60s it was easier to use than most and soon put a wheel up front so if need be going anywhere went in reverse. Belt got bad and Fenner just glued one it worked for a time, they did find a belt looked like the original lasted years until sold.I have seen people using the toothed cam belt type by turning them upside down.wonder if using two side by side, I have seen wide ones but the original was very flexible.

[davidbliss]

Grahame, I wouldn’t worry about reinstating how you took it apart, I look at it as some idiot of an idea to cause other issues when in standard form it would be impossible to get. I have seen this before like a lad on the shop floor knew what he was doing wasn’t quite the ticket but expressing his opinion gets told off from above. A certain director had a vacation, and a design engineer had already got things well advanced with patten made for casting and by the time this particular director came back a twin overhead cam engine was up and running on test showing great things. Well it got well and truly stamped on, there were six engines built so that was a feat in its self, fifty years later a engine turned up in a Riley chassis but not a Riley engine, it had been found and raced many years with success without issues without being stripped, so showing its great design and mechanical strength. Photos of it were published in a motoring mag saying does anyone recognise this and someone did, It would have been a huge asset and the engine that was used was not quite a lame duck but noting so as reliable or advanced as the one that already had been made.

[davidbliss]

Grahame, I would restore to original spec so wouldn’t cause other issues, not a modern? bodge up of an idea, flywheel, locktite and fail safe? key with a nut locked with a roll pin as couldn’t see that saving damage as with speed comes inertia. crank with its assisted flywheel with locktite and safety shear key don’t think parts would survive. I have restored the odd bit mechanical machinery that had been bodged or with parts missing and extras added on, then doing research often doing hundreds of miles going to museums, even then only to find there exhibits often had been got at with later parts added. I remember a commentator saying how wonderful an old car sounded on climbing a steep test hill with its chuffing of its engine, clouds of steam and orchestral whine of gears. Thank goodness things have changed over the years and now see some wonderful engineering in making parts putting them back to how they should be. A few years ago had a 1920’s Humber car gear box to check to find out to what had caused it to get stuck in one gear. Well it was simple, no way can keys in keyways that drive sliding gears can be held captive with rivets for long, they eventually break so why put them in when the key’s can’t escape anyway as two sets of gear hold them in. So a easy fix get rid of rivets. I was told this car was so original and never been touched, with all having the lovely sounding noisy boxes. So I was looking at the gear profile that was good but heavily worn, shafts and gears didn’t match so a mixture of parts, bearing caps chewed up showed of previous disasters of bearing failure so the boxes past showed it was Knackered. New keys, bearings and to prove a point those boxes should run quiet was able to press off both of the meshing second gear ratio’s turn over and replace so they ran silent on drive but noisy on overrun. I was soon asked could I do it to the other gears.

[davidbliss]

Grahame, I have an idea what someone has done, the flywheel nut should be done up quite tight without the need of locktite, and with it being held in position with the roll pin and flywheel locktited sort of sends shivers down my back. and it could be penny has dropped. Right the crankshaft should be pulled up tight against that mag sides bearing, So it should be crank inner face up against, bearing, spacer, points cam and then flywheel all locked up tight with the nut, so you should have four parts to fit flywheel side yours wasn’t pulled up tight hence roll pin. I think what some would say is a non mechanical person has attacked or lost a bit it could even be on the impeller side loosing some shims that adjust clearance on the back side. Now if the flywheel wasn’t on at that time being messed with at the pump side they would have drawn the crankshaft threw some bit, then it looks to me they then fitted the flywheel later and on what should have been able to do is pull the nut up tight but in-doing so would have pulled the crank threw locking the impeller up against the back face, So I would remove pump housing and unscrew the impeller. Sort out the flywheel and hopefully be able to pull up tight and still turn the flywheel someone has lost something.

[davidbliss]

Andy In Grahame’s photo just visible I recon can see hole in the thread towards its end, I have seen all these sort of things bodges get up to, like a nut coming loose so they found one with a tighter thread being a different thread rate. Going back many years the one of the engines I had was a bit flat for some time but always started and checked the timing think 30 degrees BTDC if I remember right that didn’t improve things, then changed out the complete unit, only difference was the points, seems a bit odd as complete arm made of Tufnell used a flexi wire from coil and the stationary point was earth, whereas all the others have been opposite so stationary was insulated and fed from coil and point arm had just a fibre heal rest all steel earthed through the spring so less likely to fail, well it worked.

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